It should be easy, bending down to tie your shoe. But lately, you haven’t had the range of motion you once had. You get tight and you feel a twinge of pain when you try to do normal things. If this situation sounds familiar to you, join others who are getting older, have suffered an injury, or have arthritis.
What could be wrong with your joints? Does this mean that each one needs to be treated individually? How can your chiropractor help improve your range of motion? Keeping reading to find out!
Range of Motion Issues
Throughout your day, you use your joints for nearly everything you do—brushing your teeth, getting dressed, walking the dog, and bending over to pick up something from the floor. When you lose some of your range of motion, it can definitely interfere with your everyday life and make functions difficult.
Unfortunately, those who don’t have joint pain or stiffness often don’t fully appreciate their freedom while they have it. They often take it for granted that they can do so much without experiencing discomfort. With age or injury, you come to wish you could enjoy your old flexibility and range of motion again.
While you may not necessarily feel like you’re 20 again, you can overcome this problem and have more range of motion through certain therapies.
Treatment Options to Improve Range of Motion
At home, you can apply heat and cold packs to your joints and do certain stretches to loosen up the muscles around your joints. However, you may want to consider visiting a chiropractor for more effective, long-term care.
Chiropractors can specifically target certain joints and muscle groups with massage therapy and teach you additional exercises you can do to preserve and improve your range of motion.
How a Spinal Adjustment Can Help
At first, it may seem strange to address the spine if you’re having trouble with your shoulders, wrist, or other joints in your body. However, if your spine isn’t properly aligned, it can actually be the cause of your pain and tightness in joints everywhere else. In fact, a common treatment for carpal tunnel is a chiropractic spinal adjustment!
Realignment can alleviate pressure on certain nerves, release tension in muscles and tendons, and free your joints to have more range or motion.
Getting older doesn’t have to keep you from doing what you need to in order to function. By working with a chiropractor who listens to your needs and administers proper treatment, you can more easily maintain your lifestyle and enjoy the little things for as long as possible.
About the Author
Dr. Z has more than 20 years of experience treating patients in rehabilitation. He is certified by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and graduated from Parker College of Chiropractic. Treatment is customized to each patient’s individual needs, and he uses his training to improve quality of life. If you have issues with range of motion, you can schedule an appointment at AlignRight Chiropractic online or by calling the office at 972-907-2800.
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